Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-03-24
GREASE AND GAS
BEGINNING TO EXCITE A GOOD DEALOR IN
TRREST,
In the Minds Of Oar MOundsVils NsighbOs-Pre-
dciOns that the TaylOrstOwn Field will
Extend 10 the River.

The discovery, within the past few days,
of a heavy supply of natural gas in the
well on the Wesley Riggs farm, a short
distance up the valley Of Grave creek from
Moundsville, together with the abundance
of Gathering oil indications in the same
direction, has revived the oil and gas fever
of last year in a very decided way in the
Marshall county metropolis, and some OF
the more sanguine citizens down there are
inclined to the opinion that something ola
boom will fall to their share during the
coming season, and visions of industrial
establishments run by the steam generating
mower of natural gas, and the unattractive
but decidedly profitable aroma of oil refn-
cries are beginning to haunt their dreams.
There can be no doubt but that the tend
ency of the Pennsylvania oil producing
field is to drift southwestward
toward the Ohio, and if the pres
ent tendency but holds out long enough
the Valley of Grave Creek will be dotted
with rigs and the sound of the portable
engine will echo up and down the classic
stream which flows through the heart OF
Marshall. The Washington field is prac-
tically dead. Hardly a new well of any
account has attracted attention for months
past, and interest is now centered in the
Taylorstown field, some seven miles west
and south of Washington.
The pioneer well of the TaylOrstOwn
go : ...4oi nratt,y Nrall fnNCar1 1hp
southern boundary line of the John Nc
Mannis farm, about a mile and a quarter
north of the village of Taylorstown, and
two miles in an air line from the b. U.
depot. To r. j. Vangergrift falls the
credit of leasing the land and making the
location. They began to build the rlg
about the middle Of November, 1855, and
the drill was started on the 9th OF Janu-
ary, 1886. On the 9th Of July, just SIX
months after the drilling was begun, oil
was struck. The well was mystitied until
the 26th of July, when it was opened mp
and produced los barrels in its best TWEEN
ty-four hours. 1t declined to q point De,
low 30, and after being packed and tubed
produced about IS barrels per day for q
long time, and is still doing over 80 bar
rels per day.
The Natural Gas Company of West Vlr-
ginia have completed three wells, and
other parties have finished two more,
making together five wells since oil was
struck in the pioneer producer. The wells
on the Carson, Blayney, McMannis, Noble
and Cundall farms are practically on
forty-ive degree line running in a north
., nnH HAnNnnCfT0fn 1hf
existence of a streak Of oil at least two
miles in length and pointing directly to
ward the mouth of Grave Creek, at Mounds
vile. The well on the Donaldson farm
along Brush Run, two miles northeast o
the old Taylorstown well, is a heavy gasser
and the wells producing oil lie southwes'
of this gasser. the Carson farm well, thu
most nOrtheasterly of the oil wells, had
thin sand and made q showing OF oil anC
gives every indication Of being an edg'
well. The Gordon sand, which is the OF
bearing rock in this field, was struck a
this well at a depth Of 1914. The wei
was drilled over =, 700 feet deep, but failed
TO find the fourth or sand below
the Gordon sand, which affords the gas a
the well on the Price farm, west d thu
Gordon pool. At first this was rated as {
failure, but during the week ending Marcel
18th the owners concluded to tube it anC
the well has since made a flow. The
well on the northwestern corner OF thu
Samuel Blayney farm is owned by Har'
Bros. & Co. 1t struck the sand at 2,45S!
feet, and III its best t~wenty-four hours
flowed 20 barrels through the casing
This well is S06 feet southeast OF the Nc
Mannls farm well. The Noble farm well
southwest of the old well, and nearly on
a forty-tive degree line with it, had the
best sand and is the largest well that ha'
been found i'll the T~aylorstOwn field. i
started at 20 barrels per hour and in II!
best twenty-four hours produced nearly
300 barrels. The Cundall farm well, stu
ated on the south side of Buffalo creek
and about three-quarteIs OF a mile south
west of the pioneer well, produced Owe
200 barrels per day when doing its best
after being packed. 1t is on the low
ground of the field and the sand wa
struck at a depth of ,325 feet. At thi:
we'll the sand is thinner and the oil i!
1 darker than the oils found at the Othe1
wells in the field. 1t has some indications
of being neal the edge of the field.
The oil OF the TaylorstOwn section is o
a dark, green color and resembles tina
found in the Shannopin field, and in some
parts of Butler county. The Natura
Gas Company of West Virginia, who have
drilled the wells on the McMannis, Don
Alison. Carson and Noble farms, have tn,
lions share of the territory in sight, anC
will time the movement of the drill at {
moderate speed. The sand is so thin thai
the territory will not stand close drilling
Hart Bros. x Co., who are operating the
Sam Blayney farm, have agreed to limit
their drill to seven wells on l04 acres
The form which the TaylorstOwn field viii
assume when outlined, and the extent OF
the territory which it will comprise, cal
only be determined by time and the cen
ter bit, but it is predicted by some that ii
will extend on to the west and south, anC
that eventually it will run out on the
bank of the Ohio ten to twelve miles be-
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